The UFC has a new heavyweight champion. Fabricio Werdum lost in his first title defense courtesy of a one-punch knockout from Stipe Miocic. Perhaps the Cleveland native can become the first man to defend the title three times.
Elsewhere on the card, Cris Cyborg had a successful debut, Ronaldo Souza pretty much locked up a title shot, and Shogun Rua turned back the clock. Let’s recap what went down from an odds angle.
Bet on current UFC odds at BookMaker.eu:
UFC Fight Night 88: Almeida vs. Garbrandt, May 29
UFC 199: Rockhold vs. Weidman 2, June 4
UFC Fight Night 89: MacDonald vs. Thompson, June 18
Please note, the UFC odds at BookMaker are updated daily.
MAIN EVENT
Heavyweight championship
Closing odds:
Fabricio Werdum -179 vs. Stipe Miocic +152
Result: Miocic KO Werdum, Round 1
After hovering in the +140 range for a few weeks, Miocic closed at +152, indicating a flood of late action on Werdum going into the bout. While the first minute or so was close, Werdum made the fatal mistake of rushing a former Golden Gloves boxer and got clocked with a short right hook from a backpedaling Miocic.
This fight and the fact that no heavyweight champion has been able to defend the belt more than twice gives you an overall picture of betting in this division. No weight class embodies the definition of “puncher’s chance” more than the heavyweights. It only takes one punch from nearly anyone in the division to lay someone out cold.
CO-MAIN EVENT
Middleweights
Closing odds:
Ronaldo Souza -285 vs. Vitor Belfort +235
Result: Souza TKO Belfort, Round 1
Souza went from -300 to -285 on the morning of the fight, so there was obviously a lot of people that thought Belfort would come through with one of his signature blitzes. He barely got an opportunity to throw a punch. Jacare grounded the knockout artist quickly and carved him up with heavy ground-and-pound before the fight was mercifully stopped.
After the fight, Souza called for a title shot against the winner of Rockhold-Weidman. Expect Dana White and Co. to confirm this soon. There is nothing left for Jacare to prove, and nobody else makes sense as a title challenger after him.
Women’s 140-Pound Catchweights
Closing odds:
Cristiane Justino -2000 vs. Leslie Smith +1000
Result: Justino TKO Smith, Round 1
In just the span of a week, Justino went from -1300 to -1700 to a closing money line of -2000. It arguably could have gone even higher, as Smith was completely outmatched and outgunned by the Curitiba native. Though Leslie protested the stoppage -- and it did look like it came a bit early -- the outcome was never in doubt as she was eating a ton of big shots from Cyborg.
Interestingly enough, we saw a much more measured Justino in this bout. Instead doing her Bald Bull charge from the opening bell, as is her MO, she was extremely patient, setting up her range and picking her spots. Whether she was playing it safe in her UFC debut or was conserving her energy due to the weight cut, the outcome was the same. The question now is who she can face next as it’s doubtful she can cut to 135.
BEST OF THE REST
Mauricio Rua +130 vs. Corey Anderson -150
Result: Rua SD Anderson
Bryan Barberena +430 vs. Warlley Alves -565
Result: Barberena UD Alves
Demian Maia -320 vs. Matt Brown +260
Result: Maia SUB Brown, Round 3
Rua squeaked by Anderson with a split decision victory to earn victory in his hometown. While Anderson controlled much of the fight with a strong clinch and takedowns, Rua snatched the first two rounds with late knockdowns. This fight could have gone either way, but it was good to see Rua fend off Father Time just a little longer.
After upsetting Sage Northcutt, Barberena came through again as a +430 underdog against the undefeated Warlley Alves. Barberena simply toughed out an early blitz and let Alves gas himself out. By the middle of round 2, Barberena’s superior cardio took over. That’s two straight major upsets for the MMA Lab fighter.
Matt Brown was unable to generate any of his hyper-aggressive offense against Demian Maia, who smothered him from the onset. The majority of the fight was spent with the BJJ wizard on Brown’s back, searching for submissions. In the third, Maia finally slipped a forearm under Brown’s chin to lock in the rear naked choke. The win is Maia’s fifth straight, putting him on a short list of worthy title contenders.
Bet on UFC Fight Night 88 odds at BookMaker.eu
On deck for the promotion is UFC FIght Night 88, which features a matchup between undefeated bantamweight prospects Thomas Almeida and Cody Garbrandt. Sign in now to check out the odds.
HOW TO BET
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker sportsbook! You can even wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Money lines, totals, props and money line are all available now. UFC Fight Night 88 takes place Sunday, May 29, 2016 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card will be televised on FS1 starting 8 p.m. ET.
